Walmart Douglas Tires ripoff tires went bald after 1/2 of miles stated. Excelsior Springs Missouri

It appears that you have more against WalMart than just the tires they sold you.  I sense a little anti corporate sentiment in you comments.  You certainly, have the right to view Walmart through the tinted lenses of your socio-political perspective, as we all do. 

If Walmart is as bad as you believe the company to be, my suggestion to you is that you stop patronizing Walmart.   If you are right, millions of other shoppers will go elsewhere, also,  because they have been cheated by Walmart too. 

In 1974, I felt that Firestone cheated me. When I went back to seek remedy, they treated me badly.  I have never set foot in a Firestone store since then.  I don't buy anything from Firestone or any brand or product they sell. 

When it comes to automotive aftermarket stores, we have a huge number of choices.  Make use of that freedom of choice that free enterprise affords you.  Don't be bitter:  Celebrate the choices you still have. 

What can you expect when you buy tires & have your car serviced at a grocery store?

If Mensa is for the top 2% highest IQ people, and you graduated 41st in a glass of 400, how did you get in Mensa? You didn't even make the top 10% in your class.

I'm guessing reading comprehension was not your best subject. Did you read your tire warranty before posting your rant? Did anyone explain the UTQG rating on your tires, or have you never heard of that? If not, Google it. You might learn some actual facts that way.

Go sell another house, you will have plenty of money from your commission to buy another set of price-leader tires.

You don't know how fortunate you are to have a mid-priced car with over 50k miles on it that is still in "perfect" condition. It is terribly hard to understand how you can find time to have your car serviced more frequently than recommended when averaging nearly 350 miles/day and still have time to ditch on the bargain basement retailer where you bought your tires. It does seem odd that you are so upset when the el-cheapo tires you bought out lasted the OEM fitment tires. Did you go off on Ford when the originals wore out?

Happy Motoring! Relax, you will live longer.

Wow you got 50k out of a Douglas? You should be happy not complaining also as many have said there is no 100k Douglass or for that matter any tire sold at walmart. Heck vie never seen ANY tire rated for 100k ever.

I purchased a set of Douglas Performance GT-DH tires from Wal-Mart when my old tires blew out.  I should clarify that they are GT-DH and not the GT-H's.  It's odd that I can't find my tires online in ANY reference anywhere.. but to the point.  My tires did not come with a 100,000 mile warranty.  They came with either a 40k or 50k warranty.  I just passed 51k miles and I still have tread.  I should also mention I'm a fairly aggressive driver.  I roast the tires, I speed, I corner hard.  I put the first few hundred miles on without getting an alignment after putting on aftermarket suspension.  Needless to say, I'm very hard on those tires.  50k miles later and fresh out of warranty, I still have tread.
Greg
Portsmouth, OH
USA

If you have a reciept showing you bought Dougals Xtra-trac tires which actually is a 40,000 tire with a 100,000 warranty good for you. Now for the hard part, if you have cords showing go to Midas, You do have an allignment problem like it or not.

We have this problem a lot with the Douglas Tires. First off, in the three years I've worked at Wal-Mart, Douglas has not had a 100,000 mile tire, most are 40,000-45,000. They are a cheap tire. You prolly bought them because they were cheaper. I didn't catch what vehicle they were put on to, but they are a low load range and a low speed range. If you have a larger vehicle, or any type of a performance vehicle, these are not an appropriate tire. Just because the size is correct, doesn't mean the application is.
Also, with alignments, there are three angles to adjust and only one cause a vehicle to pull, and that one not even all the time. And camber, which causes most tire wear, is supposed to be checked twice a year, and can be thrown off by running over train tracks, hitting chuck holes, and bumping a curb when you park.
What I tell customers is if it apears to be alignment, I have you buy the new tires and go get an alignment (my store doesn't do them). If the BEFORE specs are all in, we'll do a warrenty based on milage, if the alignment needs to be done, then is vehicle caused and no warrenty. But you have to bring me in the specs. My fair warning, even thought they cost a little more, go by the specs on the vehicle. Almost every vehicle has a service index on their required tire (usually something like a 97S after the tire size found on the drivers door) This is the minimum spec your vehicle requires. If this is not met, you will have premature wear. As much as I hate to say it, these tires are wearing because you're buying the cheapest thing available. It is completely in your power to get better performance for a tire....stop spending 50 bucks a tire, spend a little more and you'll be a lot happier.

I also purchased Douglas Tires from Wal-Mart....the issue is not with Wal-Mart, they did not make the tires. My issue is with Douglas and/or the manufacturer of these said tires. I had these tires less than a year, and only had about 5,000 miles on them if that. Three out of the four tires had issues with the steel belts inside slipping out of place causing abnormal wear on the tires.

No need for negative or non constructive comments. I am an engineer and know that the tires are of sub-standard quality and not the fault of Walmart. Had I known the quality issues of the tires I would have never purchased this brand. Buyer beware and research before any purchase.

just because you can take you hand off the wheel and it goes straight does not mean that there is not a problem. did you ever hear off caster and camber or toe in or out that causes abnormal tire where and is most likely the cause of the problem regardless of the year of your car.

Tire mileage ratings are just a guide, and are about as reliable an an EPA gas mileage rating.

These ratings are based on optimum conditions. This includes proper inflation and overall condition of the vehicle including all suspension parts, alignment, and shocks/struts, as well as the way the car is driven.

The OP stated that her 2003 Taurus was in "perfect condition" but I would bet money that her car still has the original shocks and struts on it. I would also bet that she ran those tires without ever checking the air pressure.

That Taurus is a very heavy car and the tires should be inflated to the max rating. Tire pressure should be checked at least once per month as the normal tire pressure loss is 2-3PSI per month, but can range between 1PSI and 5PSI per month very easily.

The fact is, people DO NOT maintain their cars PROPERLY, and I have NEVER seen a woman check her tire pressure or oil.

If there was any tread left on those tires, and cords were showing, there was a problem with the car itself or a lack of preventive maintenence. Guaranteed.

I just found out today that Douglas Touring tire was deleted from Walmart inventory about 3 months ago. I called 5 Walmarts in the area to see if they had any leftovers but they were all out. My wife ran into the curve this morning making a left turn causing a golf ball sized bulge on the sidewall of the front passenger side tire. I had them installed 43K miles ago and they have plenty of life left. I had them on my 2000 Mercury Villager and now 2002 Honda Odyssey.

It's too bad Heidi had an issue with her tires and cried "rip off" and "false advertisement" when neither one was the case. When I first saw the 100,000 mile comment, I knew that was incorrect. I would say a car that has bald tires with the steel belts showing has been neglected, especially if a service tech is telling the unsuspecting owner. Something like that happens because of a suspension problem or the owner failing to rotate the tires. Douglas Tire and Walmart shouldn't be put on "Blast" because of this. I see it all the time in parking lots, cars with worn out front tires and brand new looking rear tires.

I liked the Douglas Touring. Too bad they don't carry them anymore. The tire I ended up buying was a Goodyear Viva Touring (sold exclusively at Walmart Stores)

As a former manager for Wal Mart in the Tire and Lube Express I can easily picture what happened.

Based on the dates provided it would seem the original poster puts a lot of miles on her car every year.

Car new in 2003, needed new tires in 2004, 50,000 miles driven by 2006.

Based on those numbers I imagine that she had around 30-35,000 miles on her car when it was brought in for tires.

One of the common ways that tires sales people help a customer choose a tire is to ask what their price range is and how long they are planning on keeping the car. If she said she is planning on getting rid of the car at 100,000 miles, or something similar, but was also on a limited budget, the Douglas Touring would have been the recommendation, being that they were warrented at 80,000 miles. In the process of all of this it can be easy for someone to become confused and get another number stuck in their head.

Now the for a few facts.

Douglas is made by Kelly Springfield, a Goodyear owned company, for Wal Mart.
Historically, the Douglas Tires are very reliable and long lasting assuming that the owner takes proper care of the tires and vehicle.

A car can drive straight as an arrow and still have an alignment problem. Wheels are aligned two way. In and out, (toe) and left and right (caster and camber). If the car is out of toe alignment but still in as far as caster goes then the vehicle will not pull. What you will see on the tires is excessive wear on one edge of the tire. Caster and camber results in an uneven wear pattern across the entire tread.

Finally a car does not have to be in an accident or hit a curb or anything in order for it to find its way out of alingment. Parts wear out, just the normal bouncing along the road, etc. will cause a car's alingment to slip.

For those who do not understand how a tread wear warrenty works it does so like this:

Tire is warranted for X amount of miles. If the tire gets down to 2/32 of an inch before the car obtains that many miles and there is no sign of tire abuse (burn outs, alignment issues, constant under or over inflation) then the customer is credited a percentage of the purchase price of that tire when purchasing new tires from the seller they originally bought the tires from.

out of boredom i was reading this whole argument. i have to agree with the men on this and heidi you really need a new mechanic.... you claim to be so intelligent... as a real estate agent you always know to read the fine print there fore you would not have this problem...95% of problems on any vehicle are "wear and tear".

i am having a set of douglas tires put on my car this weekend from walmart. when i called and checked on the prices they told me the mileage information and all the different styles of Douglas were around 45K miles. well anyways heidi your numbers dont match, your math doesnt add up or make much sense...

maybe you need to re-evaluate your situation ever thought of a second oppinion. yeah you go to a mechanic that you trust may he be good but hes a mechanic not a tire technician. if your tires were wearing inside or outside you should notice after a couple of months especially with the driving that a "real estate agent" does, i worked for many years in a real estate office. i know the amount of times tires were replaced. i know how many miles a day were put on average vehicles.

in any case, if your mechanic didnt find any faults with your vehicle when the wear pattern started you should have visited a tire technician they have places for tires only. second oppinion would have been good. on the other hand. why would you go to walmart and use tires warrantied @ 45K as a real estate agent that would be foolish. especially because the grade of tire is not great. i personally think that 50k on those tires was a great thing. thiefs and liars are always trying to screw some one some where and get something for free. thats the reason that there is always fine print with warrantied items. learn to read it dear heidi and save yourself the embarrassment.

i agree in full with all the mechanical information that the men here have offered and yet you rip their heads apart. because your mechanic said it was fine. because your car drives srtaight. these guys were nice enough to give suggestions. learn to take some critism.

the moral here, manufacturers should stand by their word but consumers must be aware of the fine print as to conditions.

As an employee of Wal-Mart Tire and Lube, and a former employee of Cenex Tire and Lube, I will offer the following opinion on Douglas Tires.

The advertised warranty on any tires sold at any retailer are in need of revision, or stronger regulation, because the majority of tires I have sold/installed will not meet the stated mileage waranty even under "ideal" conditions.

Of the tires we currently sell, Douglas is by far the worst offender,and produces the most consumer complaints. However, as stated in a previous response, we do not offer any Douglas tires with a 100K waranty. There is no tire currently manufactured that will run 100K miles unless you only drive on a well lubricated glass highway with no curves at 45 MPH in consistant 70 degree weather,(I'm not being a smart a**) this is the only way.

I have absolutely no idea what all the hoopla is about with these tires. I have owned a set of Douglas Performance GT-H tires for almost 4 years now. I LOVE them. According to my paperwork on my tires and Walmart's web-site, Douglas Performance GT-H tires are warrantied for only 40,000 miles, not the 100,000 miles the original complaint stated. I personally have over 50,000 miles on my set and have to finally replace them only because they are dry-rotting not because of lack of tread.

I have ran several brands of tires on my car. Douglas is the best tire I have ran EVER and I have been driving for over 25 years now, so I know a good durable tire when I use one! I agree with the men in that something is wrong with her car and not the tires. I have proof to back up my claims regarding the durability of Douglas tires in the way of my original paperwork (receipt) and can submit pictures of my car with the tires still on it, with plenty of tread still left.

Dear Heidi;

I am a consumer, like you. I do not manufacture nor sell tires, though I buy and use many. I do not own stock in Walmart.

I am an avid self taught mechanic as well as being an avid self taught legal advocate.

I do not have enough time to read all the existing communications on this topic regarding your tires, so please forgive me if my comments appear redundant in any way.

Your initial report speaks of general wear on ALL four of your new tires, yet you only report two of the four new tires being so extremely worn as to be showing their inner cords.

Rear tires on nearly ALL vehicles are never affected by relative alignment, good or bad. Only the front turning wheels of any vehicle require alignment and can therefor be damaged by bad alignment.

Regardless of the assurances by your personal mechanic that your alignment is good;

If ONLY two of your four tires are showing cords in any place other than the center band of both tires, and they were both mounted on the front, you have bad alignment.

If ONLY two of your four tires were showing cords in the center band areas of both tires and they were both mounted on the front, you then have good alignment but your front tires were over-inflated and / or you had sticking front brakes.

Alternately, if the two worst tires were both mounted on the rear, your alignment is good but you have excessive rear inflations, severe accelerations or sticking / excessive braking issues.

The latter two are highly unlikely.

Where I believe reason prevails is in the following facts;

All four tires can be presumed to have been created essentially equal in composition and durabilty (function), as they were all presumably made int the same factory by the same machines at the same time from the same raw materials.

It is not reasonable to argue that when four equal tires are all equally inflated and installed on the same vehicle, ...

...and all four tires are then subjected to equal loads and rolling frictions (accumulated mileages) ...

...that in the absence of All potential adverse mitigating factors such as poor alignemt, bad breaks, excessive accelerations or irregular tire inflations ...

...that any one (or two) of the four equal tires could experience any degree of wear different from the other two tires, all being equal.

In a nut shell, unless all four of your tires are sowing cords, there is an irregularity somewhere in your own vehicle, or personal driving habits, that is adversly affecting the performance of the tires you purchased.

This does not lead to any reasonable conclussions, one way or the other, that the tires you purchased were capable or not capable of lasting for the entirety of the prescribed mileage warrantee.

Yours Truly

heidi,

Hi my name is Missy. I am not only just a person reading and responding to your info,But i use to be an employee at walmart super center as well.
But i had a real bad Exspierence with the management that ran the whole store as well as asst. managers, and secritary worker's as well that, ran all kinds of thing's in store like complaints on Merchandise for store.

I will start by saying i guess this, I almost lost my husband's life due to this store. So i am in no way takeing up for the store or the worker's at all no way shape or form.
But because i had to not only Take care of 2 small children, do all shopping, pay all bill's that i had money for, and alot of times not all got done. lol. But i also had to do all out side work includeing maintanence on house, yard, and Yes! lol believe it the car, and saburben truck we own as well.

Now i did not pick up no how on being a machanic at walmart.lol No i had a step father who did this for liveing, as well as my husband tought me thing's as well before he got sick, in the 13 year's we been together.

And tire's and balanceing, strut's or even shocks if be the case, and ex.I do most of my own work on our vehicles. But it does sound like, 1 you either did infact get a bad product(tires) And for me to say and mean bad. They would have had to be almost even .. Maybe now and i am reaching. but Maybe they gave you old tire's or maybe even and this may have happened. maybe machanic was idiot and put some one else's tire's on. instead of knew one's.And last Maybe And for your sake i hope not. But as an Employee I have not personally seen act in progress but the guy told me he did it.

So i mine as well been standing there. But Get this, Guy would put old tire's on some one's car then charge them for brand new one's write it up as giveing customer sertian sertian tires. And then either take them home. Or And out of guy's own mouth.He would have friend come in and he would put ire's on friends car that was to be put on that other guy's car And the first guy not even know he got used ties instead of knew.

But in other way. the road's you run, and not switching tires around every once in while, it will chew at tire cause it will knock them out of balance. and they do not have to be very far off, to do damage, spec. if like roads are under work or bad pot wholes, or bump curb any thing.
But i will wrap this up, Just Every one who replied to heidi's report do not cancle out walmart as problem right away and get nasty to her. Because i know for fact thing's like i menstioned does in fact Happen plus alot more other thing's that would blow your mind.

I have seen some real nasty thing's from wally world. that they do not know half the time happen. So if any one want's any more info just rebut my report. for walmart super center, Mercersburg,Pennsylvania. And heidi make sure in future if you do get any more tire's from them.stay and watch your car get done. and let them know you are watching as well. But i was in earlier and was reading people being to nasty. so i thought i would let that information out. Now normally I would not have.Because even tho they made my life bad, i am not the type to do it back.

heidi,

Hi my name is Missy. I am not only just a person reading and responding to your info,But i use to be an employee at walmart super center as well.
But i had a real bad Exspierence with the management that ran the whole store as well as asst. managers, and secritary worker's as well that, ran all kinds of thing's in store like complaints on Merchandise for store.

I will start by saying i guess this, I almost lost my husband's life due to this store. So i am in no way takeing up for the store or the worker's at all no way shape or form.
But because i had to not only Take care of 2 small children, do all shopping, pay all bill's that i had money for, and alot of times not all got done. lol. But i also had to do all out side work includeing maintanence on house, yard, and Yes! lol believe it the car, and saburben truck we own as well.

Now i did not pick up no how on being a machanic at walmart.lol No i had a step father who did this for liveing, as well as my husband tought me thing's as well before he got sick, in the 13 year's we been together.

And tire's and balanceing, strut's or even shocks if be the case, and ex.I do most of my own work on our vehicles. But it does sound like, 1 you either did infact get a bad product(tires) And for me to say and mean bad. They would have had to be almost even .. Maybe now and i am reaching. but Maybe they gave you old tire's or maybe even and this may have happened. maybe machanic was idiot and put some one else's tire's on. instead of knew one's.And last Maybe And for your sake i hope not. But as an Employee I have not personally seen act in progress but the guy told me he did it.

So i mine as well been standing there. But Get this, Guy would put old tire's on some one's car then charge them for brand new one's write it up as giveing customer sertian sertian tires. And then either take them home. Or And out of guy's own mouth.He would have friend come in and he would put ire's on friends car that was to be put on that other guy's car And the first guy not even know he got used ties instead of knew.

But in other way. the road's you run, and not switching tires around every once in while, it will chew at tire cause it will knock them out of balance. and they do not have to be very far off, to do damage, spec. if like roads are under work or bad pot wholes, or bump curb any thing.
But i will wrap this up, Just Every one who replied to heidi's report do not cancle out walmart as problem right away and get nasty to her. Because i know for fact thing's like i menstioned does in fact Happen plus alot more other thing's that would blow your mind.

I have seen some real nasty thing's from wally world. that they do not know half the time happen. So if any one want's any more info just rebut my report. for walmart super center, Mercersburg,Pennsylvania. And heidi make sure in future if you do get any more tire's from them.stay and watch your car get done. and let them know you are watching as well. But i was in earlier and was reading people being to nasty. so i thought i would let that information out. Now normally I would not have.Because even tho they made my life bad, i am not the type to do it back.

heidi,

Hi my name is Missy. I am not only just a person reading and responding to your info,But i use to be an employee at walmart super center as well.
But i had a real bad Exspierence with the management that ran the whole store as well as asst. managers, and secritary worker's as well that, ran all kinds of thing's in store like complaints on Merchandise for store.

I will start by saying i guess this, I almost lost my husband's life due to this store. So i am in no way takeing up for the store or the worker's at all no way shape or form.
But because i had to not only Take care of 2 small children, do all shopping, pay all bill's that i had money for, and alot of times not all got done. lol. But i also had to do all out side work includeing maintanence on house, yard, and Yes! lol believe it the car, and saburben truck we own as well.

Now i did not pick up no how on being a machanic at walmart.lol No i had a step father who did this for liveing, as well as my husband tought me thing's as well before he got sick, in the 13 year's we been together.

And tire's and balanceing, strut's or even shocks if be the case, and ex.I do most of my own work on our vehicles. But it does sound like, 1 you either did infact get a bad product(tires) And for me to say and mean bad. They would have had to be almost even .. Maybe now and i am reaching. but Maybe they gave you old tire's or maybe even and this may have happened. maybe machanic was idiot and put some one else's tire's on. instead of knew one's.And last Maybe And for your sake i hope not. But as an Employee I have not personally seen act in progress but the guy told me he did it.

So i mine as well been standing there. But Get this, Guy would put old tire's on some one's car then charge them for brand new one's write it up as giveing customer sertian sertian tires. And then either take them home. Or And out of guy's own mouth.He would have friend come in and he would put ire's on friends car that was to be put on that other guy's car And the first guy not even know he got used ties instead of knew.

But in other way. the road's you run, and not switching tires around every once in while, it will chew at tire cause it will knock them out of balance. and they do not have to be very far off, to do damage, spec. if like roads are under work or bad pot wholes, or bump curb any thing.
But i will wrap this up, Just Every one who replied to heidi's report do not cancle out walmart as problem right away and get nasty to her. Because i know for fact thing's like i menstioned does in fact Happen plus alot more other thing's that would blow your mind.

I have seen some real nasty thing's from wally world. that they do not know half the time happen. So if any one want's any more info just rebut my report. for walmart super center, Mercersburg,Pennsylvania. And heidi make sure in future if you do get any more tire's from them.stay and watch your car get done. and let them know you are watching as well. But i was in earlier and was reading people being to nasty. so i thought i would let that information out. Now normally I would not have.Because even tho they made my life bad, i am not the type to do it back.

heidi,

Hi my name is Missy. I am not only just a person reading and responding to your info,But i use to be an employee at walmart super center as well.
But i had a real bad Exspierence with the management that ran the whole store as well as asst. managers, and secritary worker's as well that, ran all kinds of thing's in store like complaints on Merchandise for store.

I will start by saying i guess this, I almost lost my husband's life due to this store. So i am in no way takeing up for the store or the worker's at all no way shape or form.
But because i had to not only Take care of 2 small children, do all shopping, pay all bill's that i had money for, and alot of times not all got done. lol. But i also had to do all out side work includeing maintanence on house, yard, and Yes! lol believe it the car, and saburben truck we own as well.

Now i did not pick up no how on being a machanic at walmart.lol No i had a step father who did this for liveing, as well as my husband tought me thing's as well before he got sick, in the 13 year's we been together.

And tire's and balanceing, strut's or even shocks if be the case, and ex.I do most of my own work on our vehicles. But it does sound like, 1 you either did infact get a bad product(tires) And for me to say and mean bad. They would have had to be almost even .. Maybe now and i am reaching. but Maybe they gave you old tire's or maybe even and this may have happened. maybe machanic was idiot and put some one else's tire's on. instead of knew one's.And last Maybe And for your sake i hope not. But as an Employee I have not personally seen act in progress but the guy told me he did it.

So i mine as well been standing there. But Get this, Guy would put old tire's on some one's car then charge them for brand new one's write it up as giveing customer sertian sertian tires. And then either take them home. Or And out of guy's own mouth.He would have friend come in and he would put ire's on friends car that was to be put on that other guy's car And the first guy not even know he got used ties instead of knew.

But in other way. the road's you run, and not switching tires around every once in while, it will chew at tire cause it will knock them out of balance. and they do not have to be very far off, to do damage, spec. if like roads are under work or bad pot wholes, or bump curb any thing.
But i will wrap this up, Just Every one who replied to heidi's report do not cancle out walmart as problem right away and get nasty to her. Because i know for fact thing's like i menstioned does in fact Happen plus alot more other thing's that would blow your mind.

I have seen some real nasty thing's from wally world. that they do not know half the time happen. So if any one want's any more info just rebut my report. for walmart super center, Mercersburg,Pennsylvania. And heidi make sure in future if you do get any more tire's from them.stay and watch your car get done. and let them know you are watching as well. But i was in earlier and was reading people being to nasty. so i thought i would let that information out. Now normally I would not have.Because even tho they made my life bad, i am not the type to do it back.

Hello all,

I have read some of the comments regarding this complaint. I would like to point of some matters of interest so people can better understand a mechanical point of view.

I cannot comment if the complaint is valid or not without examining the car or tires. I hope the following information is helpful.

Alignment: Alignment consists of three components. Toe, camber, and caster. A car from the factory can be out of alignment!!! I do alignments everyday.

When an alignment is done most mechanics adjust the car within specs. Specs are the manufactuers recommended settings. However this doesn't mean the car is set properly for each car's condition and/or driving conditions. We recommend to the owners to have the alignment rechecked in 2k miles. This allows us to "tweak" the alignment by checking tire wear.

I have seen people who do mostly interstate driving who need a different toe setting than the manufactuers specs for example. This doesn't mean that setting to specs is wrong. And most cars don't need to be "tweaked". It insures us since most alignments are cars with tires we have sold and/or lets customers be satisfied we have done the alignment properly.

Before an alignment is performed the tech should examine your suspension for any worn parts, ie. tie rod, ball joint, idler arms, etc.

Proper tire pressure: "What is the proper tire pressure?" I hear this question alot. The answer is this.. Open your door and look for a sticker on the edge of the door or the door post. This is the manufac. recommended pressures for your car. (If you have different size tires than came with your car than the pressures maybe different.)

ROTANTION..ROTATION..ROTATION: I see so many cars with tires that are not rotated properly. The combination of this and improper tire inflation decreases tire life severely.

Driving habits: Do I need to explain?? Only YOU know this. Driving too fast in turns. Hitting curbs. etc etc etc.

Balancing tires: Do you have a vibration in your car? Does it get worse the faster you go? The tires maybe unbalanced. This causes a rough ride and premature wear to tires and suspension parts.

Sorry for the "speech" :P~~~ But I thought it would be good to give some helpful info. I could go into more detail about alignments, etc but want to keep this under 10 pages LOL.

Have a great day. CJ

Douglas tires as well as all tires sold by Walmart are the bottom of the line junk. These are tires, that if you could, you would buy at Big Lots-Odd Lots. The reason Walmart sells them so cheap is that they are CHEAP. It is so funny to see people flocking in to get a good deal which in fact they are putting the lowest grade tire of all manufacturers that sell to Walmart.

It does not matter what people tell her. She is a customer, and all she wants is the best value.

As an employee of the company I see it all the time, When a customer complains about or has a problem with the wear on the tires.

The customer's vehicle is ALWAYS in PERFECT working order, Has to be the tires.

The rims are NEVER bent, Has to be the tires.

The alignment is NEVER off or has JUST been aligned, Has to be the tires.

The suspension is ALWAYS new or has JUST been checked, Has to be the tires.

The vehicle has NEVER been driven rough, Has to be the tires.

The customer ALWAYS rotates and has the tires rebalanced every 4,000 to 6,000 miles, Has to be the tires.

But the customer cannot produce a work order showing the alignment or suspension is fine and or was recently aligned or checked.

Has No work orders from ANY tire shop from ANY of the MULTIPLE rotation and balances they said has been done.

People are going to say what ever they want about anything they want, because they are sad people who only want to cause problems for others.

"The Proof Is In The Pudding" Well O.K. That is nice.

I my self have A set Of the douglas X-tracs on my 1989 Toyota All-trac Sedan with 217,836 miles at time of installation as recorded on the work order.

The current odometer reading is 253,582. That is 35,746 miles on the tires.

I had the tires installed over 2 years ago.

And for the people who like to do the math, here you go. I did it for you below. And to keep it simple for the simple folk, I used an average, not actual miles. The actual miles driven is a bit higher.

I was driving an average of 30 miles a day ONE WAY to work, so to and from would be an average of 60 miles a day round trip. 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, for 2 years.

OK so that would be, 52 weeks x 5 days a work week x 2 years = 520 days.

520 days x 60 miles a day = 31,200 miles not including driving on days off.

The tires are at 5/32" of tread with even wear, and started at 10/32" when new.

So after 31,200 miles on a 40,000 mile tire using only 50% of the tread after driving over 75% of the tire's mile warranty. And having plenty of tread still on the tires.

There is something to be said about the cheapest Douglas tire, When rotated And balanced every other oil change.

So the "Phantom" 100,000 mile douglas tire, that only one customer has ever purchased, and no body else has ever seen, could be a bad tire if they only made 4 tires in that one size, in the 100,000 mile model, that would be an indication of the problem.

Heidi,

First, a question. Were the cords showing along both edges of the tires, or just one side? If it was along both edges, they were underinflated. It is was only on one edge it was most likely alignment.

My other question is how you can possibly complain about getting 50,000 miles out of a $30 tire?

I am not slamming women here, so please take this the right way. I have never seen a woman check the tire pressure. Under normal driving, tires lose 2-3 psi per month, under heavy driving, you can lose this month per week.

I agree with others that 50k miles in 5 months is a little exaggerated, borderline impossible. I got just over that mileage in a big truck running OTR 48 states 10 hours per day driving time.

And, up until the last few months I have never seen a Douglas tire with a 100k mile warranty. The most I have seen was 40k miles. AND, that warranty you bought is roadhazard, not normal wear and tear. The warranty replacement only covers defects in the tire, not normal use. However, they will normally warranty it anyway, even though they are not obligated to do so, based on the pro rated method of tire tread remaining.

FYI. You can get a very good set of tires for abou $20 more per tire if you watch the sales.

and she bought tires in 11/2004 and she wrote this report 4/2006 (a year and a half later or so) she would have driven well over the 100,000 miles she states she didn't get from the tires. She said she only got about half (50,000 or so) but now she drives 50,000 miles in five months. hmmm. Maybe she just became a real estate agent, who knows.

I thought putting 70,000 miles on my car in 3 years was a lot, but I guess not!

Don't forget M, that Heidi is driving 333 miles a day, 7 days a week. At an average speed of 65 mph since she does highway driving only, thats a total of 5.12 hours in her vehicle a day. So, she's in her car for 5 hours a day, and as a realtor would spend an average of 30-45 minutes per showing, and as a good realtor, should have about 4-5 showings a day, meaning that for 7-8 hours a day she is on the road. This sounds about right for a realtor.

So that means, that every house she is showing is an average of 65-80 miles apart (4 showings at 80 miles = 320 miles). What kind of client looks for houses that far apart? Or, are you so good that you only need to show one house, and your clients are sold?

So, back to the original rip-off. You thought you bought tires that were good for 100,000 miles. Everyone and their brother proved that Douglas tires does not have a 100,000 mile tire, but they do have 30k, 40k, and 50k mile tires.

To drive 50,000 in five months, you'd have to drive 333.33 miles everyday of the week for five months. That's like saying you're in your car 6-8 hours everyday.

Your car insurance must be incredible as that is serious business usage.

If i'm understanding you correctly, you buy a set of 100,000 mile tires every ten months and go through two sets every year?

Your 2003 car has over 250,000 miles on it? You spend over 3500 dollars for gas every five months.

I'm not saying it's not possible, just incredible.

I think at that rate, I'd only trust a professional Tire Company

I'm a real estate agent. 50,000 in 5 months is nothing.

I'm a real estate agent. 50,000 in 5 months is nothing.

I'm a real estate agent. 50,000 in 5 months is nothing.

I'm a real estate agent. 50,000 in 5 months is nothing.

^^^^^that's a lot of driving, somethings fishy here.

Just to let all you people that said it was my car know I bought tires from someone with a better reputation. Same car, same care, just new tires from a different vender. These tires were rated for 40000 miles they have 50000 miles and are going strong. So everyone that said the problem was my car. The proof is in the pudding. There was nothing wrong with my car. If my car was the issue these tires would have the same problems.

I read this blog.... during the whole fiasco of the issue, no one has brought up the issue of tire pressure! for example: i bought a set of tires from walmart, a couple of day latter my tires were low on air. so, i filled them up to the correct pressure, and went on a couple of days latter same thing. i took them to a shop they coudn't find any leaks. come to find out, whenever they put new valve stems in w/ the new tires they forgot to screw in the core of the stems in all the way, so it was leaking pressure.

I have had Wal-Mart install their douglas(cheapest) tires several times and had a good experience. I don't remember ever seeing a 100K tire there. They are usually somewhere around 40k. I drive an old car and even though I get it aligned time to time I still don't get the 40K. I expect this due to worn out parts. My car drives straight and smooth but there is more to it than that. The back tires usually always last the full warranty. My rule is buy cheap and don't look at the mileage warranty. If you're hungup on getting everything you think you pay for then that's your right. I won't argue that one bit. And it is true that people take advantage of some women for wome reason. But, feminists take advantage of the excuse. "Lady", you should not get so offensive to the people on this board because they are only trying to help you see in a straight line, like your car.

I have worked for WalMart Automotive for almost 13 years and the two stores I have been in have "always" been honest. I don't defend other stores and their policies, as they should be the same as ours. We have never had a 100,000 mile tire, especially concerning Douglas. They just raised the Douglas XtraTrac to 45,000. The Douglas Touring are 80,000. If a customer comes in our shop for a new tire and all we find is a nail in it at our store, and if the tire is in good condition, we do not sell a tire just for the money.....we ask if they just want the tire repaired.

The store I am at does not try to rip off anyone... and all of our technicians are like this. We will let the customers know of any problems or worn parts, as I once did alignments and replacing front end parts when we did this. All stores aren't the same as they hire young people with very little experience in anything. Our store has 3 techs with about 30 years experience combined.
All WalMart Auto Centers aren't the same.
Thanks

I have worked for WalMart Automotive for almost 13 years and the two stores I have been in have "always" been honest. I don't defend other stores and their policies, as they should be the same as ours. We have never had a 100,000 mile tire, especially concerning Douglas. They just raised the Douglas XtraTrac to 45,000. The Douglas Touring are 80,000. If a customer comes in our shop for a new tire and all we find is a nail in it at our store, and if the tire is in good condition, we do not sell a tire just for the money.....we ask if they just want the tire repaired.

The store I am at does not try to rip off anyone... and all of our technicians are like this. We will let the customers know of any problems or worn parts, as I once did alignments and replacing front end parts when we did this. All stores aren't the same as they hire young people with very little experience in anything. Our store has 3 techs with about 30 years experience combined.
All WalMart Auto Centers aren't the same.
Thanks

I have worked for WalMart Automotive for almost 13 years and the two stores I have been in have "always" been honest. I don't defend other stores and their policies, as they should be the same as ours. We have never had a 100,000 mile tire, especially concerning Douglas. They just raised the Douglas XtraTrac to 45,000. The Douglas Touring are 80,000. If a customer comes in our shop for a new tire and all we find is a nail in it at our store, and if the tire is in good condition, we do not sell a tire just for the money.....we ask if they just want the tire repaired.

The store I am at does not try to rip off anyone... and all of our technicians are like this. We will let the customers know of any problems or worn parts, as I once did alignments and replacing front end parts when we did this. All stores aren't the same as they hire young people with very little experience in anything. Our store has 3 techs with about 30 years experience combined.
All WalMart Auto Centers aren't the same.
Thanks

I have worked for WalMart Automotive for almost 13 years and the two stores I have been in have "always" been honest. I don't defend other stores and their policies, as they should be the same as ours. We have never had a 100,000 mile tire, especially concerning Douglas. They just raised the Douglas XtraTrac to 45,000. The Douglas Touring are 80,000. If a customer comes in our shop for a new tire and all we find is a nail in it at our store, and if the tire is in good condition, we do not sell a tire just for the money.....we ask if they just want the tire repaired.

The store I am at does not try to rip off anyone... and all of our technicians are like this. We will let the customers know of any problems or worn parts, as I once did alignments and replacing front end parts when we did this. All stores aren't the same as they hire young people with very little experience in anything. Our store has 3 techs with about 30 years experience combined.
All WalMart Auto Centers aren't the same.
Thanks

I assumed it was for the same reason my customers ask me AFTER they blow a chunk of change at a tire store. My tire equipment is right in front, and I have tires lined up on the shelves on the back wall.

Buy at Wally World though. Nah...not me. I don't buy anything from there. I have yet to see a single item where CHEAP equaled GOOD.

One burning issue.. and I am sure that Robert will agree with me... IF your vehicle is, in fact, serviced regularly by a professional mechanin, then why on earth would you go to Wal Mart for tires..? Doesnt he do tires...? Wouldnt you rather support someone that might actually care about your business and your car.. rather than go to Wal Mart and become yet another of their nameless.. faceless.. customers, the ones that they couldnt care less about?

My arms are 16" around when I am not pumped up on creatine. I really don't know how big they are fully maxed. I made the "my arms are bigger than your legs" remark to Joseph as a joke.

Considering he got flattened by one punch(he stated this in a different report), the joke seemed accurate.

I haven't wrapped my hands around 23" in a while. At least not since my wife gave me two boys. My thighs are 24" relaxed. Does that count? ;)

Sorry to tell you this Heidi, but Douglas tires are not rated for 100,000 miles. They are a 40,000 mile tire.

I don't know where you're getting the idea that the tires are 100,000 mile rated. I don't know if there are any tires that are good for 100,000 miles, and if there are, they will be too expensive for wal-mart to sell.

My husband bought low end Pirelli tires from a tire shop and they WEREN'T GUARENTEED FOR 100,000 miles. And Pirelli is top of the line!

So for you to say you cheap Douglas tires were suppose to go for 100,000 miles. I think that you are deluded.

Also just because you have BOOK SMARTS, does NOT mean you have STREET SMARTS.

Heidi, you stated here a couple of times that you had graduated better than 41st out of 400. My question for you is this, in whay field of study did you do this in? Please tell us. Otherwise we'll just have to think that it was for High School. Thank you in advance, for your responce.

Denny is a girl? Wow, too cool. The y in the spelling of your name had me thinking you were one of the guy regs in here, not one of the ladies. :) My bad, glad I read this report and will change my mind pic of you to a pretty lady! Have you checked the progress Steve and I have had on the MovieLand/Pass/MuviPuz reports recently?

OK Robert, I gotta ask since Wally brought it up. How big are your arms? (Yeah, I read the steroid report since I was curious what it was about. I take prednisone when needed. Wally needs to come spend time locked in a small room with me when I've taken some, he'll learn the true meaning of arrgo. LOL.)

Anyway, just curious which is bigger, my 23 inch waist or your arms. Nothing to stop the world for, but the mind pic I got from the steriod thread of you and your guys lugging around engines in the shop ... got me wondering, so I thought I'd be nosy and ask ya.

See ya in a couple months Wally. Don't work too hard.

Wally, I have read many thread battles between you and Robert.

It is you Wally who is the juvenile antagonist. Robert states fact and you seem incapable of an intelligent counterpoint so you resort to mudslinging and namecalling. Why not engage an intelligent debate instead of your usual namecalling. I don't see anywhere in this post where Robert was offensive. He merely stated factual information. I honestly don't think I've read anything from you that's not merely contrary to Robert.

You started it Wally, as you always do. You barged into the post with little knowledge of the topic with the intent of picking a fight and not helping the poster.

See ya Wally

You said that you live in an extremely rural area. Does that mean that you have to travel on gravel roads alot?

The reason I ask is, I used to live in an extemely rural area myself and those gravel roads are murder on your regular car tires.

Some tire shops here won't even sell you a warranty if you travel on gravel roads often.

Just curious.

Go get him girls - what a catch!!!!

But as always, you take what is said, and twist it into a contortion so convoluted, nobody knows what direction it's heading anymore.

"Thanks for not letting me down Robert. I have already shown the flaws in your argument but you have never opened your eyes and ears wide enough to admit you were wrong before so you certainly won't start now. Suffice to say that Heidi has a professional, competent mechanic advising her and maintaining her vehicle. Now that was a big clue but I suspect you will have difficulty believing that you could be wrong."

And yet, the fact still remains...the only reason the FRONT tires are wearing faster than the rears, is because the front end is NOT within spec. Prove it is. I can prove it's not, by the simple fact that THE FRONT TIRES ARE WORN OUT!

"Incidentally I followed your link which you provided to the thread on steroids and it has made me understand why you are so ignorant and arrogant in all your postings."

What link? Put down the bat guano and engage your brain.

"You are found by the courts to be a lethal weapon..."

Show me where I said that. I said "deadly weapon", and that is exactly how the JUDGES(plural) said it. Some of us have training that would make you wet yourself. If I get into a fight, it instantly becomes a FELONY. Other guys get a misdemeanor.

"...your arms are bigger than everybodies legs"

Again, show me where I said that. Good grief, you're a dolt.

"...because of the steroids you are taking which are provided to you by VA?"

Sjow me where I said that. I don't take steroids, and I don't get them from the VA. Try taking a class at the local learning annex. English is a very tricky language. Learn it.

"Fortunately most of us don't have the need to take any sort of drugs to live a normal, happy life nor do we have to increase the size of our arms to counter a size deficiency elsewhere."

I take supplements, not drugs. Why are you always so interested in my body parts? This isn't the first time you've tried to flirt with a guy. Are you still trying to "link together" with Ben?

"I have no doubt that you would be quite a good bloke if you came off the aggro pills and were content with the body you were dealt."

I have no clue what an aggro pill is. You seem to be knowledgeable in that department. As for the body I was dealt...only fatbodies and beanpoles are content with that kind of rationale. Ask a babe who she wants to be with. A dud, or a stud?

"I have never come across a true hero or "lethal weapon" that had to brag about it on line to complete strangers."

I can imagine that's true. I can also imagine you running away in abject fear when you meet up with anyone who acts like a man, instead of some milquetoast who whines and tries to be "sensitive". Chicks don't like "sensitive". They want the Alpha. What you are leaving out is the crap Joseph was spewing about his bodybuilding/powerlifting trophies(amazing how he can't remember when or where he won any of them), and his current sports of "full contact Karate, and Boxing", while in reality, he is fully disabled(flattened by one punch in a street fight) and has done NOTHING he claimed to have done. He wanted to know what my qualifications are, and I told him. HE wanted steroids, not me. I know anabolic steroids are illegal. HE tried to buy them online. Natural supplements are LEGAL, and all "lifters" use them.

"You continue being a legend in your own mind and we will continue to feel sorry for you because everybody laughs at your rants. Try a bit of civility, a bit of humility and understand that you are a backwoods grease monkey who is probably rated at number 1,000,000 on the list of competent mechanics in the USA. Anybody who is good at their profession has no problem admitting they're not right 100% of the time which leads me to believe the steroids are taking a big toll in your case."

One more time you wankre(I wrote it that way just for you), show me the flaw in ANYTHING I have ever written. You cannot without first taking what I actually write, and changing it to fit your twisted viewpoint. Show me how I am wrong in this case. Show me how tires just wear out in 1/2 the expected treadlife, without something causing it.

"Heidi you deserve some refund and I'm sure your chosen mechanic can advise you more professionally than that which you have received here."

There you are again. Is there even one case where the customer shouldn't be refunded his/her money? By your own admission, you do it all the time. You must be broke by now. All you ever do is say the customer deserves a refund. You even brag about it, and how your employees give the cash away for you. What a guy! I even gave her the idea of having her trusty mech put his reputation on the line when she goes to small claims court. He won't of course, because WalMart will be able to prove what caused the tires to wear out, while he can offer up no rebuttal. No mechanic is going to humiliate himself in court for this. Yes Robert I am going to disappear again for another couple of months as, unlike you, I have truckloads of work for myself and staff."

Why do I get the feeling you won't live up to that? As for your truckloads of work, wouldn't it just be easier to give the services/software away for FREE, then have to refund everyone's money later on? You could spend more time on the beach that way.

Watch out for the guys kicking sand at you.

Thanks for not letting me down Robert. I have already shown the flaws in your argument but you have never opened your eyes and ears wide enough to admit you were wrong before so you certainly won't start now. Suffice to say that Heidi has a professional, competent mechanic advising her and maintaining her vehicle. Now that was a big clue but I suspect you will have difficulty believing that you could be wrong.

Incidentally I followed your link which you provided to the thread on steroids and it has made me understand why you are so ignorant and arrogant in all your postings. You are found by the courts to be a lethal weapon, your arms are bigger than everybodies legs because of the steroids you are taking which are provided to you by VA? Fortunately most of us don't have the need to take any sort of drugs to live a normal, happy life nor do we have to increase the size of our arms to counter a size deficiency elsewhere. I have no doubt that you would be quite a good bloke if you came off the aggro pills and were content with the body you were dealt. I have never come across a true hero or "lethal weapon" that had to brag about it on line to complete strangers. You continue being a legend in your own mind and we will continue to feel sorry for you because everybody laughs at your rants. Try a bit of civility, a bit of humility and understand that you are a backwoods grease monkey who is probably rated at number 1,000,000 on the list of competent mechanics in the USA. Anybody who is good at their profession has no problem admitting they're not right 100% of the time which leads me to believe the steroids are taking a big toll in your case.
Heidi you deserve some refund and I'm sure your chosen mechanic can advise you more professionally than that which you have received here.


Yes Robert I am going to disappear again for another couple of months as, unlike you, I have truckloads of work for myself and staff.

"How could you possibly know that Heidi's or my car or anyone elses car has a problem with their wheel alignment or anything else?"

I'll attempt to answer your question in a way, even you can understand. If I have a problem with my computer, or a software program, I can call the experts and they can tell me what is happening, and how to fix it. Amazingly, neither the computer manufacturer, nor the software publisher has seen my computer. They can, and do provide repair help every day this way. Mechanics get calls every day from people who want to know what's wrong with their cars. usually, I can tell them over the phone. Sometimes, I just choose not to. Amazing.

While you read through all the posts, did you notice the trend? Only ONE person agreed with Heidi. Lisa doesn't know spit about cars, but she's an expert. Heidi considers the expert, and I'll guess you do too, simply because she agrees with Heidi. It MUST be the fault of BUSINESS, and couldn't possibly be the fault of the customer. You already know my saying, and it stands true in every case I have used it. To refresh your memory..."The customer is always wrong".

Try to find the flaw in ANY of the other posts. There are none. Today, as it has been for over 100 years, the tires wear out rapidly due to worn out parts. If the tires were defective, Heidi wouldn't have gotten 5000 miles out of them. She wore them down at 50,000. She apparently believes in rotating them every 50K miles, whether they need it or not. ONLY the front tires are worn out. The rear ones are fine. Her front end is worn out...PERIOD! If her expert mechanic is worth his salt, he'll have no problem stating this in court, when she sues Wally World. It's only his reputation that will be on the line. I'm sure he'll have no problem doing that. Four wheel drive vehicles wear out front tires faster than any other vehicle, so that is also a factor.

Show us the flaw in our posts please. Good luck.

G'day Heidi. I was just killing a little time browsing through the site and I found everyone taking my name in vain so thought I'd have my 2 cents worth!
Too often today these macho men sell tyres, cars or wigwams for a gooses bridle and espouse wonderful warranties and guarantees without mentioning the terms and conditions. When you make a claim they wriggle and squirm and point to the terms and conditions printed on your receipt in 2 point legaleze. Everyone has an angle today and the days of doing business on a handshake is long gone. When I make a purchase, for example tyres I get the salesperson to handwrite the items that will preclude warranty from being effective. If they are not prepared to do that then I go elsewhere to a business that has absolute confidence in the product they are selling.
The reason I read this report because the title of one of the rebuttals I knew to be a certain mechanic talking down to someone again. I read the full thread and yes these mechanics that spend all their time espousing their greatness obviously can't be very good at what they do or they wouldn't have time to write hundreds of rebuttals about anything and everything on this site.
I will pose a question to all of them. How could you possibly know that Heidi's or my car or anyone elses car has a problem with their wheel alignment or anything else? You haven't seen the vehicle. Heidi has stated numerous times that she has a good mechanic looking after her vehicle, unfortunately he doesn't have time to write a rebuttal because he is very good at his work and has customers coming out of his ears, unlike you guys who spend many hours of each day berating people because you are legends in your own minds.
More power to you Heidi and the other Ladies that have supported you. You are 100% correct 100K means 100K not 50k or as Mr hair splitter says 50,001. At the very best you have been deceived at the very worst you have been ripped off and you are more than entitled to use this site to advise others of your unsavoury experience with this company. To all you guys that say it is the manufacturer I say rubbish!!! The manufacturer did not sell Heidi the tyres, the company that fitted them did and THEY told Heidi of the 100K warranty.
As usually happens now the guys will denigrate me which I cop on the chin but at least they will be leaving the Ladies alone so I will have achieved something. Incidentally my world is pretty good despite all the claims to the contrary.
OK guys go for it, I'm ready.

I've purchased tires from walmart several times for two differant vehicles. I never had any problems with them.

I wouldn't suggest buying high performance tires from them, but for average tires for an average car, they're a few bucks cheaper than most places.

A friend of mine is a certified mechanic. I asked him how Walmart can sell tires that cheap. i forgot the name he had for them, kind of like a Brand-offshoot. He said the mfgr's will have a run of tires and decide they don';t want them as front runners, so they sell them off to places like Kmart, Walmart, Bj's Wholesale and Sams. He said they are NOT defective and usually last as long as their warranties.

Take this as a case in point: It wasn't walmart that had SUV's blowing out tires and flipping.

I have worked for the Wal-Mart automotive department for some time installing tires and have put countless Douglas tires on peoples cars. I am a bit confused by the original information.

I don't know of any Douglas tire that comes with a 100,000 mile warranty.

Walmart carries primarily three types of Douglas tires, Xtra-Trac, Touring and Performance GT/GTH. None of these tires have a 100,000 mile warranty. Actually, not even the best tires we carry, Goodyear Viva Touring and Michelin Symetry, have a 100,000 mile warranty. Viva Touring, which are made specifically for long tread life only have a 80,000 mile warranty.

The longest treadwear warranty on a Douglas tire I've ever seen is the Touring line that has a warranty of 75,000 miles.

I would like to know what line of Douglas they sold you, if they sold you Douglas Touring and told you they had a 100,000 mile warranty; they lied. If you have Xtra-Trac or Performance GT/GTH tires from Douglas, getting 50,000 miles out of them is phenomenal.

I'm not going to pass judgment on they type of wear your tires have since I cannot inspect them personally. Alignment is the most common cause of tires going bad too quickly but there are many, many other things that can cause major problems as well.

If you are still watching this report, please, look at your tires and write down exactly what kind of Douglas tires they are and the size of your tires and I will tell you if the Walmart shop you went to ripped you off by giving you false information about the tires.

This has really run downhill. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that you can pursue your warranty claim at any authorized Douglas tire dealer. The mileage warranty is backed by the tire manufacturer, not the dealer. You don't have to go back to Wal-Mart. Please don't go back to Wal-Mart. For anything.

The best you can hope for, if Douglas complies fully with the warranty, is 1/2 off the price of new "100,000 mile" tires. That may not be enough money to be worth the hassle. Also you have to buy Douglas tires again if you want to collect the warranty claim.

My experience has been that tires rarely last the rated mileage even if the car is in perfect condition. The roads I usually drive are twisty and the state also gives those roads the "tar and stones" treatment which seems to me that it would really eat tires. But generally a tire with a longer warranty will last longer than one of the same brand with a shorter warranty. This can help you decide if it is worth the extra money. But don't expect it to be an absolute number of miles in the real world.

O.K., I've been in the retail tire business for a little over 10 years. I'm going to try and explain exactly how the milage warranties work...

If a tire states that it has a 50,000 mile warranty, then theoredically it should last 50,000 miles...to get any kind of adjustment on the milage warranty the tire has to wear evenly down to 2/32nds of tread...If this happens (rarely does) and you did not get the stated milage, then you get an adjustment based on the miles you have left. This doesn't mean if the inside or outside edge wear down to 2/32nds; it is 2/32nds across the entire tire...with that said, most people change their tires around 3 or 4/32nds of tread. The milage warranty also doesn't mean when it is time to change your tires and you didn't get all the milage out of them, you automatically get credit towards a new set...that's not how it works.

In most cases when I have had to warranty out tires due to milage, the tires were either just a couple of months old or the tires were just a few thousand miles away from the stated milage warranty.

Heidi, you still have convinced me on your complaint. Now people are saying you get what you pay for purchasing them from Wallmart.

Ok you purchased a tire with 100,000 mile warranty that is a pretty excellent warranty and you probably paid good money for them. You only had 2 tires with defects, not all 4 right. Think about guys, she is right. The company should back up the product they sell and Heidi has me convinced not to shop at Wallmart.

And yes living in a rural area, Wallmart does run of the little guys.

Still behind ya

I have a question about the warranty, Do you have the paper work that came with the tires? If so, does it say,"up to" or for 100,000 miles if it says "up to" then you are out of luck.

As it usually means they will warranty any tire "defect" up to that mile mark with a prorated rate for the tread that is left.

Normally the mile warranty is not a garranty of how many miles you will accually get no matter how you drive or all this allignment toe crap.

She got 50,000 miles on the tires look around at tire warranties there are not many that even have that many miles. You may also like to know that some tire companies put high miles on the tires hopeing when you buy new tires it is probably after you have had the car for 3-4 years already and will sell it with in 2 years if new and if used they expect that you will sell the car before you come close to the miles quoted.

No, people are not telling me what is going on. People are repeatedly telling me there is something wrong with my car despite the fact that I have stated more than once that there is nothing wrong with my car.

The facts are this:
1)My car checks out fine by a reputable mechanic.
2)Proper maintance of car and said tires occurred.
3)Tires did not even come close to the amount of advertised usage.

If there is no reason my car or my maintance caused the early death of the tires then one would conclude the tires were either defective or the advertised mileage is grossly exaggerated.

As far as why I went to Wally World in the first place is I live in an extremely rural location. Wally World has driven off all of the competition in my area.

Why should we as a public tolerate bad service from Wally World. If you go into McDonald's and only receive 1/2 your order are you going to walk away and say nothing? No you wouldn't. So why should Wally World be exempt from the same standards?

If the public stands up and says that they expect good service no matter what sooner or later they have to listen. Yes, I firmly believe that the little man can still make a differnce especially if they unite.

It is like the sparrow and the hawk. The hawk is larger and more powerful but the sparrows can and do join forces and take the hawk down. The sparrows fly up behind the hawk and one by one pull the feathers out of the wings of the hawk and send it crashing. I actually have watched this happen. The joys of living in the country.

This is why I posted in the first place. I wanted to warn people not to buy tires from Walmart. If this causes 2 people not to buy from Wally World and those 2 tell 2 more, well, you do the math. Let us not forget also the name of this website ripoff report and that is exactly what those tires are.

Worn out tires are due to worn out parts; and if you dont regularly rotate your tires and check alignment (ie every 10,000 miles or so), your mechanic may not catch those parts that are worn.

Its due diligence on the part of the car owner to make sure their car is in tip top shape.

I change my oil every 3,000 miles, even though my car manfuacturer says I dont have to for every 7k-8k miles. if I dont make 3,000 by 3 months, I change it after every three months. Stop and go traffic is also murder on your engine, brakes, and tires.

Im not a "little" lady that refuses to learn and take what a "mechanic" says. I educate myself about the car I buy and make sure I understand what care is needed to keep my vehicle in running condition.

YOu were able to put 50,000 miles on your tires? That means its an alignment problem. To echo the "men", if the tires were bad to begin with, you'd have noticed it in the first couple thousand miles (maybe in the first hundred or so).

Heidi, why are you getting so defensive? People are trying to explain to you what is going on. I don't know very much about tires or cars, that is not my profession, law is my profession though. First, how are you saying that Wal-Mart ripped you off? If this is infact a ripoff, Wal-Mart did not manufacture the tires, Douglas or Goodyear (so you say) did. Wal-Mart just put them on your car.

Secondly, you went to Wal-Mart for you tires to begin with, why didn't you just pay the extra cost to a mechanic and have them do alignment and balance? You went to Wally's because it was cheaper, now you are pissed because you are getting screwed. You get what you pay for, remember that.

When I bought my first Mustang, they had Goodyear tires. I was told that around 30,000 miles I would need to change them because they were not high quality tires to begin with. I ended up getting close to 50,000 miles out of those tires because I took care of them. I had my car aligned 2 times a year and rotations/balancing done more often than recommended. I don't take my car to Jiffy Lube, PDQ. or Wal-Mart...I have a mechanic, body/detailer, and tire guy that are self employed that way I know who is touching my car and if they are fully qualified or not.

MY CAR IS IN PERFECT CONDITION! I TAKE IT NOT ONLY REGULARLY BUT MORE OFTEN THEN RECOMMENDED!

Mensa is not just a club. You have to have an I.Q. in the top 2 percent of mankind in order to qualify for acceptance. And I was refering to graduating in the top 10% of my class at school not the top 10% Mensa.

ONCE AGAIN MY THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY CAR!

Ok Heidi, the point we are trying to make is the tires WOULD have been good for 100k miles (if not more) had there not been something wrong with your alignment.

That is like going on a cruise that offers you "a great time" but you get sea sick and havea horrible time. Is that false advertising? No, because the company who sold you the trip had no control over your inner ear problem. WalMart did not know your car was out of alignment when they sold you the tires (how could they unless you had them check) therefore there were basing their claims (Douglas' claims, really) on the condition of "if everything goes right and you have no vehicle problems..."

You tell people to read, and yet you quite obviously do not do so yourself. Grow up, Heidi, your insults to the men are offensive even to me.

Ok Heidi, the point we are trying to make is the tires WOULD have been good for 100k miles (if not more) had there not been something wrong with your alignment.

That is like going on a cruise that offers you "a great time" but you get sea sick and havea horrible time. Is that false advertising? No, because the company who sold you the trip had no control over your inner ear problem. WalMart did not know your car was out of alignment when they sold you the tires (how could they unless you had them check) therefore there were basing their claims (Douglas' claims, really) on the condition of "if everything goes right and you have no vehicle problems..."

You tell people to read, and yet you quite obviously do not do so yourself. Grow up, Heidi, your insults to the men are offensive even to me.

Ok Heidi, the point we are trying to make is the tires WOULD have been good for 100k miles (if not more) had there not been something wrong with your alignment.

That is like going on a cruise that offers you "a great time" but you get sea sick and havea horrible time. Is that false advertising? No, because the company who sold you the trip had no control over your inner ear problem. WalMart did not know your car was out of alignment when they sold you the tires (how could they unless you had them check) therefore there were basing their claims (Douglas' claims, really) on the condition of "if everything goes right and you have no vehicle problems..."

You tell people to read, and yet you quite obviously do not do so yourself. Grow up, Heidi, your insults to the men are offensive even to me.

Ok Heidi, the point we are trying to make is the tires WOULD have been good for 100k miles (if not more) had there not been something wrong with your alignment.

That is like going on a cruise that offers you "a great time" but you get sea sick and havea horrible time. Is that false advertising? No, because the company who sold you the trip had no control over your inner ear problem. WalMart did not know your car was out of alignment when they sold you the tires (how could they unless you had them check) therefore there were basing their claims (Douglas' claims, really) on the condition of "if everything goes right and you have no vehicle problems..."

You tell people to read, and yet you quite obviously do not do so yourself. Grow up, Heidi, your insults to the men are offensive even to me.

I can see your point, but to blast us "men" for trying to explain WHY your tires didn't last the 100,000 they were advertised for is not exaclty fair either. It's not cut and dry 100,000 mile guarantee. If it was, you would be able to drive over curbs and through glass and if your tires go bald than you (by your logic) are blaming the tire not your driving. While most tires are guaranteed for a specific mileage, that guarantee is usally predicated on your car being properly aligned and no physical damge to the tire occurring. If your mechanic checks your car out and gives you a statement (or the results of the alignment check) and you bring that into the shop, than I would think that you would be due some sort of compensation. However, as has been stated before, just because you can take your hands off the wheel and it drives straight DOESN'T mean you are aligned properly. ALL your wheels could be misaligned, the car would still drive staright, but you would be riding on the inside or outside of the tires, causing wear.

As for blasting us "men", if you "women" had any clue as to what we were talking about maybe you wouldn't be so huffy and would understand we were trying to help. So before you get all feminist on us, learn something. And if you don't want people opinions, don't post on a public message board

Hats off to you Heidi, the whole issue her is false advertisement, not some technical mechanical garbage about toe-in and toe-out, men love to talk this way. I had my tires rotated notated and every tated possibly and still did not get near the mileage warranty stated at Goodyear, and the employees were so busy they didnt want to hear me out. I bought my next set of tires at a dealership, so far still good and the service is so much better. Like mentioned before, would you want to order dinner and the waiter only comes out with 1/2 of what you ordered and started giving you this story about the chef only had 1/2 of the meat to complete the order and the salad lady showed up to work late and she forgot to get the lettuce on her way in, so we didn't think you would notice or mind if you still paid full price for only 1/2 of a hamburger and no lettuce with you dressing.

Mensa is nothing more than a club. There is no graduation, nor is there a top 10%. Everyone in Mensa is the same. There is no "Mensa School".

I posted a link to a site you may be intersted in, but ED zapped the post.

Use a search for the words (WalMart AND GoodYear AND lawsuit). You may find it very helpful.

But, Brandon is correct. Defective tire will come apart or wear out within the first few thousand miles, not 50K miles later. Your vehicle has worn out parts, thus causing the increased wear. There is no false advertising here.

If your vehicle is in perfect condition, and you properly maintain your tires, you will get approximately 100K miles from them. This is like the EPA fuel mileage estimates on a new vehicle. In a perfect world, you should be able to get about the same numbers. Nobody does, because we don't live in a perfect world.

Do a search like I recommended and go from there.

And finally, you know we men like things to be simple ;)

This response is to the men and I will make it SIMPLE FOR THEM! The point that us poor little stupid ladies are trying to make is IF A COMPANY SAYS IT'S TIRES ARE GOOD FOR 100,000 MILES THEY SHOULD MAKE IT 100,000 OR THE COMPANY SHOULD RATE THE TIRES AT 50,000!!!!!!

As far as making things simple for us "ladies" I find that remark very insulting. For your information I was in Mensa and graduated in the top 10% of over 400 students. So I really don't need anyone to make things simple for me.

The whole point behind this is THE FALSE ADVERTISEMENT! IS THAT SIMPLE ENOUGH FOR YOU MEN TO UNDERSTAND?

I'm going to say the same thing Robert said, except I'll make it a little more simple for you to understand...

Lady, tires don't wear out in 50,000 miles due a defect in the tire. If it was 5,000 or even 15,000 it might be a different case, but not 50,000.

Where were the steel belts showing through... on the inside edge, outside edge, on both edges. If it was the inside or outside edge it is most likely an alignment problem. I don't know who your mechanic is, but if he didn't show you a before and after printout of the wheel alignment specs don't believe him. You said your vehicle was a 2003... you should at least have your alignment checked once a year (depending on road conditions in your area). When a vehicle starts getting a few years on it the springs start to sag a bit, slowly moving alignnment specs outside manufacters recommended range. I could get really complicated and start telling you about camber kits and full contact shims and how on some vehicles you can't even set certain alignment angles, but you can research that if you like.

Here's a tip, next time you buy tires... buy your tires from a place that can perform an alignment at the same time. Make sure what ever place you choose can give you proof that the alignment was out and is now in specs... most places won't charge you for the alignment if it is not out of specs. Buying tires is an investment... protect your investment.

Is that interesting Lisa? From what I have found on the net GOODYEAR MAKES DOUGLAS TIRES! I'm seeing a trend here!

Saying you got 1/2 the miles means nothing. Do you mean exactly 50K miles? A mile more or less is NOT 1/2.

If your mechanic is any good, he won't mind assisting you. Have him write a verification letter stating the suspension and steering are all in spec. Take that and go with it. Keep in mind, if WalMart checks everything and finds the stuff is worn out, he's not going to stand by and be humiliated in court. He won't even show up.

If he's positive that everything is perfect, you won't have any trouble getting compensation.

Try reading what is written next time. Truth is not pretty and flowery. Something is worn out besides your tires. I put $25 generics on my wife's car. She gets at least 40K miles out of the fronts, and 100K from the rears.

Her car is perfect.

I was in your same shoes once but my tires were bought at Goodyear by Antioch mall in Kansas City Missouri, they fed me the same line and I did not get near the mileage the manufacture issued. Goodyear wouldn't budge so I went somewhere else, so they lost me as a customer. You are so right and we need to start standing up for what we purchase, maybe if you call or write the manufacture of the tires, they may help you.

I was in your same shoes once but my tires were bought at Goodyear by Antioch mall in Kansas City Missouri, they fed me the same line and I did not get near the mileage the manufacture issued. Goodyear wouldn't budge so I went somewhere else, so they lost me as a customer. You are so right and we need to start standing up for what we purchase, maybe if you call or write the manufacture of the tires, they may help you.

I was in your same shoes once but my tires were bought at Goodyear by Antioch mall in Kansas City Missouri, they fed me the same line and I did not get near the mileage the manufacture issued. Goodyear wouldn't budge so I went somewhere else, so they lost me as a customer. You are so right and we need to start standing up for what we purchase, maybe if you call or write the manufacture of the tires, they may help you.

I was in your same shoes once but my tires were bought at Goodyear by Antioch mall in Kansas City Missouri, they fed me the same line and I did not get near the mileage the manufacture issued. Goodyear wouldn't budge so I went somewhere else, so they lost me as a customer. You are so right and we need to start standing up for what we purchase, maybe if you call or write the manufacture of the tires, they may help you.

You know for a know it all you sure can not read! If you had read this complaint you would have seen how many miles the tires had on them. Also my mechanic told me that my alignment is fine. My point and complaint is that if a company advertises their tires for 100,000 miles the tires should at least get close to that number. I never said I wanted tires for free but I should get at least 50% back because I got 50% use of the ADVERTISED AMOUNT!


Would you be ticked off if you went to a restaurant and they gave you only half of what the menu said you got with your meal? Would you buy a gallon of milk that was half full? No you wouldn't! So why should we expect less from Walmart? If society accepts lower standards from companies that's exactly what we will receive. However, if society speaks out and says "HEY, WE ARE GOING TO HOLD YOU TO YOUR WORD" then companies must listen or go out of business.

Being able to drive straight without touching the wheel has nothing to do with anything.

As long as the wheels are close, you'll be able to do that. I can take a car that's been "T-Boned", and make it run straight. The car is bent in half, but as long as I take that into account, I can make it droive straight. It will also eat tires.

An example. Let's say your car requires 1/16" toe-in. I can put one wheel at 1/16" toe in, and the other at 0". Your car now has the spec of 1/16" toe-in. The steering wheel will be off center though, and on many models, this will trip the valve in the steering gear and the pump will try and straighten the wheels. Now, you'll drift to the side. I can also put 1/16" toe-in on both sides. You now have 1/8" total toe-in. The car will drive perfectly straight, but will chew up the tires.

Alignments go bad for one reason, and one reason ONLY. Parts are no longer within spec. It doesn't matter if it's due to a collision, or because the car has a bunch of miles on it. The factory settings do NOT change. If the settings have changed, it's because there is wear on at least one component of the steering/suspension.

As for the prorated system tire places use, that's normal. While you expected to get new tires for FREE, they look at how much tread is left and start deducting based on "value used" by the customer. They did this to eliminate having to replace tires for people who either abused them on purpose, or neglected maintenance on the vehicle. I wouldn't want to be the guy replacing tires for FREE for some dipstick who thinks smoky burnouts are "cool". Yes, I had a guy try that once. The right rear tire was bald, while the other three were like new. He said the tire was defective. There was something defective alright, but the tire wasn't the issue.

Batteries are sold this way too.

How many miles were on these tires? If there are fewer than 20K miles, AND you can prove there is NOTHING wrong with the steering/suspension geometry, you should contact a "higher-up" and try to get some satisfaction. Even a horribly CHEAP tire should last more than 20K miles. You may consider small claims Court if nothing else. Judges know how this game is played.

Good luck.